Welcome to a new Wildcard Wednesday! This week, I’m celebrating the 30th anniversary of Xena: Warrior Princess, the iconic fantasy-action series that aired in first-run syndication from 1995-2001, a spin-off of Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Xena premiered during the week of September 4, 1995 — the date that is often given as its premiere, for that’s technically the first day stations in the U.S. could have aired it. But since it was syndicated, markets had the option to schedule both Herc and Xena whenever they saw fit. This usually meant the weekends, so most day-one viewers probably saw Xena’s opener, “Sins Of The Past,” on September 9 or 10.

I’ve shared a lot about the show here over the years, for it was seminal in my love of television and storytelling. I’ve even counted down my favorite episodes — a list that I’ve revised several times, most recently in 2023. Frankly, I don’t have any official update to share this year, but my top 5 selections are still my top 5 selections: (1) “The Ides Of March,” the exciting culmination of the first four years’ long-form storytelling (and maybe even the series’ entire premise), (2) “The Bitter Suite,” a brilliantly conceived musical that encapsulates the most potent dramatic arc that the show ever offered, (3) “Callisto,” the narratively purest distillation of the series’ premise and core themes, also introducing both the cast’s most compelling villain and most enduring comic relief, (4) “A Day In The Life,” a hilarious reflection of the series at the peak of its popularity, when it was having the most fun playing up the subtext in its central relationship, and (5) “One Against An Army,” an action-packed self-contained drama that emphasizes the dynamic bond between the two main characters. If you’ve never enjoyed Xena before, I wouldn’t recommend my first two favorites — those are best appreciated in the context of the whole run — but the last three are perfect places to begin. Start there!

However, for you well-established Xenites, I want to take the rest of this post to share two rarities with you. The first is a piece of footage that hasn’t been seen since October 1998, during the week that the third episode of Season Four first aired, “A Family Affair.” This is the “Previously On…” recap that opened the original broadcast version of this memorable excursion, detailing the events of “Adventures In The Sin Trade (I & II),” the two-parter that had run the prior two weeks, starting the new season. Now, if you’ve watched the officially released copy of “A Family Affair” on VHS, DVD, cable, or streaming, you’ve seen the version that was first shown in March 1999 — which instead opened with a summary of the third season’s finale, “Sacrifice (II).” Why was this change made? Because everything in “Sin Trade” was less relevant to “A Family Affair” than the cliffhanger from the prior season, and since it wasn’t airing immediately after “Sin Trade” in March 1999, its recap was updated to follow this more logical through-line. And that’s the version that stuck for posterity. So, for those curious completists (like moi), here’s the original beginning of the episode, from October 1998.

But I have something else that’s equally cool: a beat sheet for a never-produced episode also from Season Four. It’s called “Shoreline,” and it was written by Steven L. Sears in December 1998. The story was given the production code V0622, which was the number eventually assigned to “Endgame” (one of my top 20 favorites). Apparently, “Endgame” took elements of a planned entry informally known as “Amazon Reunion” and combined them with this idea, informally known as “Death Of Pompey.” In the “Shoreline” version of Pompey’s swan song, Xena foils his scheme to execute Caesar, and the two are shipwrecked on a deserted island together. It feels like Xena’s answer to Hercules’ well-regarded “Mercenary.” But trust me — “Endgame” is much stronger, for it takes better advantage of the series’ established particulars, like Ephiny and the Amazons, and it better sets up “The Ides Of March” (my #1 favorite!) with Brutus, while dealing more explicitly with Gabrielle’s struggle to maintain her pacifism when forced to defend the things she values. That makes for a classic Xena. Now, okay, I’m sure “Amazon Reunion” would have still been great without the added Pompey stuff, but overall, I’m glad that V0622 was re-conceived away from “Shoreline” and merged into the eventual “Endgame,” which was made even more compelling because of the extra dramatic weight.

Fortunately, though, you can see for yourself. I present the “Shoreline” beat sheet to you here (click the pic above) — in celebration of Xena and its underrated writing, which was full of charm and imagination, supported by rich, multi-dimensional characters and a strong central relationship that has kept the series iconic for three decades. It’s been my pleasure to love it.

Come back next week for another Wildcard! And stay tuned Tuesday for more Mother!